Towel bar



y 16, 9' E. w. KOERING I 1,721,305

TOWEL BAR Filed Dec. 9, 1.924

I t torney By 77740041 I Patented Jay is, 1929.

UNITE stars TE T OFFICE.

EUSTACHIUS'W. KOERING, OF VINELAND, NEW JERSEY.

TOWEL BAR.

Application filed December 9, 1924. Serial No. 754,705.

This invention relates to a towel bar and more particularly to a towel bar composed of glass or other vitreous material and a novel support or bracket therefor whereby the bar Ifnay be suspended from a wall or other surace.

Heretofore, in the construction of towel bars, it has been the usual practice to make the bar of a straight rod of glass ofsuitable length and to support the same by means of metal brackets extendingoutwardly from the wall at right angles to the bar. Such construction has serious disadvantages however, since it permits the damp towels or other objects hung thereover, to come into contact with the metal bracket, causing the .nickel plating to be worn off, exposing the brass base which quickly becomes corroded and. unsightly. Furthermore, in such construction the bar fits more or less loosely in" openings in the'ends of such brackets and, due to the inherent nature of the bracket, such as the necessary length thereof, the outer ends thereof often become bent away from each other, unless the brackets are made unduly large or heavy, permitting a slight amount of end play or longitudinal movement of the bar and consequent rattling thereof in the brackets. Moreover, difficulty has been experienced in bars supportedin accordance with prior construction, by'moisture and dirt accumulating in and about the opening in the bracket in which the bar is supported.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a towel bar composed of glass or other vitreous material having metal sup ports, in which the towels :or other objects supported on the bar will normally be'out of contact withthe metal supports.

Another object is to provide a towel-bar composed of glass or other vitreous material and having relatively small metal supports 01' brackets.

Another object is to provide an improved support'for a towel bar or similar article,

which is pleasing in appearance, simple in construction, inexpensive in. manufacture and which will. support the bar in afirm and rigid manner.

Another objeetisto preside a towel bar and bracket which may be readily cleaned and 1n which there will be no accumulation of dirt within or about the bracket openings.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear. In accordance with this invention the bar,

which'may be composed of glass, porcelain 'or other vitreous, non-corrodible and easily cleanable material has a substantial portion adjacent each end bent inwardly at right angles to the body portion of the bar-and each of such inwardly turned ends is supported by a metal bracket which extends outwardlyfrom the wall a relativelyshort distance. A bead or shoulder is preferably formed "on the end of theopening in the bracketin which the: bar extends. The extreme ends of the bars are grooved for engagement by a spring clip which serves to retain the end of the bar centered in the bracket/and to hold the bead or enlargement on the 'bar tightly against the outerend'of the bracket Obviously other means may be provided for retaining the rod within the bracket, without departing from the scope of. this invention.

In order that the invention may be more fully understood, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section of the towel rack applied to a wall;

Fig. 2 is an exterior view of the bracket,

' Fig. 3 is'a plan of the spring member for retaining thebar within the bracket; and

base 8 thereof has an annular flange 9 there around, to form a recess 10 in the underside of the shell in which the spring retaining member? is '65 each end of the glass bar and abuts against The rod or bar 1 has an annular bead or shoulder 11 formed on each of the inwardly turned ends 2 and 3, which seats against the outer edge 12 of the bracket and is held tight-- ly thereagainst by the spring retaining member 7, as will hereinafter appear, whereby the entrance of dirt and moisture into the interior of the bracket around the bar is precluded. v

The retaining member 7, preferably is in the form of a dished or concave spider and is composed of a resilient metal, such as spring steel. A slot 13 communicating with the central opening 14 permits the retaining member to be slid over the groove 15 formed on the end of the bar 1. The central opening 14: is slitted back on one side for a short distance, as at-16, to permit the member 7 to be sprung onto the end of the bar and to firmly engage the sides of the groove 15. i Preferably, perforations 17 "are provided in the bracket or support to permit the same to. be secured to the wall by means offscrews 18 or equivalent fastening means and the retaining members 7 have a plurality of radial projections 19 which extend into the recess 10 and between which the screws 18 pass.

In assembling the towel bar for attachment to a wall, the inturned ends of the bar 1 are passed through the small ends of the bracketsl and 5 and the retaining members 7 slipped thereon so as to engage in the grooves The retaining members should preferably be positioned on the end of the bar so that the slot or slideway 13 will extendin a substantially horizontal direction when the brackets are attached to. the wall, whereby there is no tendency of the bar having a lat eral movement therein. a v

The retaining men her 7, it will be noted holds the end of the bar centered in the bracket and retains the bead or shoulder 11 firmly in engagement with the end of the bracket, thus producing a firm, rigid structure in which all play and looseness is eliminated. Moreover, since the bracket extends only a short distance from the wall there is only slight opportunity of damp towels coming in contact therewith to wear away. the

nickel plating and render the support un- It should be further noted that the bracket is composed entirely of two pieces of stamped metal, that there are no clampedor soldered joints and that the exposed surface ofthe bracket is relatively small, thus effecting a substantial decrease in the cost of production thereof. I

The bead 11 prevents moisture gathered on the bar from creeping along the same and into. the opening of the bracket, and since a tight contact is maintained between the bead and the end 12 of the bracket, there is no op portunity of dirt accumulating in or around the end of the bracket.

lVhile I have shown and described but a single embodiment of the invention herein, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of different modifications and that many variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the in- 2. A support for towels and similar ob jects, comprisinga bar having its opposite ends bent at an angle to the intermediate portion thereof, a circumferential groove in the bar adjacent each end thereof, an enlargement on said bar spaced from said groove,

a bracket surrounding each of the ends of the bar with the enlargements on the bar abutting against the outer ends of the brackets, arecess in the base of each of the brackets and a spring clip, contained in saidrecess engag-.

ing each of said grooves for firmly locking the bar and brackets together.

8. A support for towels and similar objects, comprising a bar of vitreous material, a bracket for securing the same to a wall or other surface having an annular recess therein and means for rigidly uniting said bar and bracket, said means comprising a circumferential groove formed in the bar and an abutment spaced at different distances, respectively, from the end of the bar, said abutment engaging the outer end of the bracket and said groove being engaged by a spring clip contained within said annular recess,

4. A support for towels and similar objects, comprising a bar having one end thereof disposed normal to the surface from which it is to be supported, abracket concentric with said end, an enlargement on said bar abutting against the end of the bracket and a detachable resilient retaining member within the bracket at leastpartially surrounding the end of said bar at a distance from said enlargement to maintain the bar normal to said surface and prevent longitudinal movement thereof,

5. A support for towels vand similar ob j ects, comprising a bar having one end thereof disposed at an angle to the surface from which it is to be supported, a bracket concentric with said end, an annular recess in the base of said bracket, an enlargement on said bar abutting against the end of the bracket and a retaining member within the bracket at least partially surrounding the end of said bar at a distance from said enlargement to maintain the bar at a definite angle to said surface and prevent longitudinal movement thereof.

6. A towel bar comprising a rod having its end portion provided With a circumferential groove, a bracket enclosing said end portion and engaging said rod at a point spaced outwardly from said groove, a recess in the base of said bracket and a retaining member held Within said recess and engaging 10 EUSTAGHIUS W. KoERING, 

